Found on Desmond J Smail website on August 29, 2018

Bentley 1927 6½ litre
Price £625,000

Exterior Colour: Green ~ Trim Colour: Green ~ Hood Colour: Black

In the mid 20’s W.O. Bentley decided that a larger chassis with a more powerful engine was needed to suit the bigger heavier limousine bodies that many of his customers were then putting on his 3.0 litre sports car. The new car would be more refined and better suited for comfortable general motoring to meet the needs of his well-heeled clients!

The result was the Bentley 6½ litre which was produced from 1926 to 1930 in rolling chassis form of various lengths to be supplied to specialist coachbuilders according to the wishes of each customer. Each car was powered by Bentley’s 6.6 litre straight 6 overhead cam, 4 valves per cylinder engine developing around 150hp. A competition version of the 6½ litre with modified cams and twin SU carburettors producing 180hp was offered from 1928, known as the ‘Speed Six’ it would become the most successful racing Bentley with accomplishments including two Le Mans wins!

This particular car was first supplied to Lt. Col. Hamilton in 1927 with a 4-door limousine body by Hooper who were coachbuilders of the highest quality, their customers included members of the Royal family and this would have been an extremely expensive car at the time.

Having survived the war in one piece and subsequently enduring the post war years, the Bentley was eventually restored in 1989 to full 'Speed Six' specification with a Vanden Plas Le Mans type body. The restoration included reuniting the car with its original 1927 registration number which it still holds.

The current owner purchased the car in 2006 and set about a no expense spared Rally conversion. The enhancements included an 8.0 litre block, chassis strengthening, back up alternator, new wiring, axle straps, dust proofing the air intakes, room for 2 batteries, hidden safe, twin Monits and a heater etc etc. The original 6½ litre block and 1926 SU carbs are available.

This Bentley has been prepared and maintained to the highest standard throughout its many journeys, has completed them all without major problems or breakdowns and is now fully ready for its next adventure.

The car also comes with an extensive and well documented history report written by Clare Hay, the acknowledged authority on vintage Bentleys.

It’s rally and touring accomplishments are as follows:

- 2006 Tour of Holland and Belgium 1000 miles
- 2007 London to Belek (Turkey) 10 countries 2750 miles, California 1500 miles, including Laguna Seca racing
- 2008 Tour of Jordan 1000 miles, London Bassano (Italy) London 2000 miles
- 2009 Tour of India 2000 miles, 3 Castles Rally Wales 1000 miles, Tour of Scotland 1500 miles
- 2010 Peking Paris 10,000 miles, gold medal for starting and finishing on time every day
- 2011 Tour of Sweden 2000 miles
- 2012 A Winter Tour of Wales 750 miles
- 2013 Birkin Memorial Rally Norfolk, Brooklands and Switzerland 2000 miles, Tour of Germany Dresden and back 2000 miles
- 2015 Germany Tour 2000 miles

This car is for sale as of August 29, 2018

Found on STANLEY MANN RACING website on September 9, 2017

1927 6½ LITRE SPEED SIX SPECIFICATION THE FINEST LONG DISTANCE CONTENDER AVAILABLE.

A 6.5 Litre to full Speed Six specification, with an extensively and well documented history by Dr. Clare Hay.

An immensely well prepared vintage Bentley, well proven on events across the world and a Peking-Paris gold medallist.

A well seasoned campaigner ready to lead in world events. (This is not a party political broadcast)

The finest big touring Bentley to this standard available.

The prospective purchaser of a vintage Bentley who wishes to gain an understanding of what it takes to get the maximum enjoyment out of our wonderful machinery should not let the opportunity to view this Bentley pass them by. This Bentley encompasses what went into Bentleys in period, what happened during the post war years and having survived all of that, which she has, the work involved in ensuring that you can get into a car now into it's 90th year and travel the world, or mix it in traffic in any city. As we always tell people a vintage Bentley is incredibly robust, but it is not indestructible.Confuse the two at your cost. Having taken this on board and not professing to have any kind of engineering background, this vintage Bentley's long term owner has ensured that, as you may by now have guessed, this Bentley has been prepared and maintained to the highest standard regardless of cost. Crossing the Gobi desert, touring in India, Russia, the USA, the continent, Sweden, Turkey all dispatched with consummate ease and ready for more. Here is a lesson in vintage Bentley ownership so dont miss the chance to experience it.

Not being offered for sale as a matching numbered Speed Six ( and at considerably less than half the cost) nor as a concours restoration - we also have those - but as a proper vintage Bentley which left the Cricklewood works in 1927, useable, charismatic and ready for any event in the world.

Peking - Paris 2019

Cappuccino Rally, July 2015

Birkin Rally, 2013

Benjafileds AGM, March 2012

"William's Winter Wally, February 2012"

Write-up dated February 14th, 2012 by James Suterfound found on Gliffaes Hotel website:

Winter Car Rally a Success
The roar of the huge 8 litre engines announced the arrival of a group of vintage Bentley owners as they arrived at Gliffaes for the first stage of their Winter Rally. This is the second time that we have hosted this very cheery bunch of car enthusiasts who I am pleased to say spend a good deal more time in the bar than under the bonnets of their cars, which is what other vintage car owners seem to do.

Despite the threat of snow and ice, everyone made it from all over the UK and abroad and in some style — all in open top style despite the freezing temperatures. We warmed everyone up in front of the fire and soup went down a treat. The rest of the weekend ran like clockwork; drives along the quiet country roads of the Brecon Beacons, a clay pigeon shoot at Woodland Park, a trip to Hay-on-Wye and a couple of very jolly dinners in the hotel. This part of Wales makes the ideal base for rallies of this type as the roads are some of the quietest and most picturesque in the whole of the British Isles with plenty of diversions...

Peking to Paris, September 2010

Three Castles Rally, North Wales - June 2010

Scotland, June 2009

Reg. no. YT 56 is the car on extreme right.

Monterey Historic Automobile Races at Laguna Seca, October 2007.